I Want to Be That Mom

I want to be "that Mom" ... the one who treasures every minute of her children's childhood and sees each moment as magical and poetic and fleeting as it really is. Instead, I often find myself too often harried and hurried, speaking words in quick frustration that later linger in regret.

Two posts have recently served as poignant reminders for me to slow down and soak in these memories. One was written by Ann Voskamp, author of the book One Thousand Gifts and the gifted writer of a beautiful blog. Her post is linked below:

The Only Way a Mother Can Make Peace with Time

The second post was written by my real-life friend Tonya LaTorre, also a gifted writer and mom to five beautiful children. Last year she experienced the bittersweet ends of the parenting spectrum, welcoming new daughter Kira home from Uganda while also sending her oldest son Donny off to college. After Donny's recent visit home, Tonya wrote the following post which touched my heart:

I Let Him See Me Cry

So I am reminded to snuggle my children close, to listen to their enraptured secrets and soak in their sweetness while there is still time. I am blessed, so blessed, to be called Mommy by my five precious children ... Thank you, Lord, for these gifts ...

artwork by Anna Draper